Community Highlights: Meet Steven Miller of Folk Mod Interiors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Miller.

Hi Steven , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a Los Angeles native and grew up in the Highland Park area. While I was always interested in interior design, my primary focus was on Architecture. I have gone back and forth between designing interiors, being an artist, working with architecture firms, and doing some set design. Overall, I always wanted to explore why I love designing and creating spaces—whether for TV, clients’ homes, or drafting floor plans for architects. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To be honest, starting a business on your own will always have its struggles. One of these struggles is continuing when you are completely tired or not seeing the outcome you expected. Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. Reaching out to like-minded creatives led me to find communities also going through the same hardship. Finding ways to help each other out made it easier to manage and cross bridges I needed help to build. Overall, this gave me the confidence to take on larger challenges in owning a business and becoming a more opportune designer. 

Being inspired by other designers and artists helped me rediscover why I started this in the first place. I have come to believe that the greatest outcome takes time to grow, and building something larger than myself takes a lot of time to fabricate into reality.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Folk Mod Interiors?
I founded Folk Mod Interiors in 2019, formerly known as Sub Folk Collective; my business is now in Echo Park. I have a background in architecture and design, my experience includes visual merchandising, set design, and staging homes to sell. So whether it’s selling or staying, my focus will always be who my clients are in spaces they call home, and how Folk Mod Interiors can bring that to the limelight and create an atmosphere that brings peace and belonging. Folk Mod Interiors is truly about how my client’s live in the moment with maximalism design.

Years of working in design have shaped how I think about rooms and buildings, providing a unique experience for my clients, and while staying attuned to what’s important to their priorities. I believe great design has the potential to reach beyond the conventional, like a perfect photograph that breaks the status quo.
Design is attitude, fluidity, and practicality — I always strive to blend these worlds to give clients a unique experience and a design that reflects who they are.

Next chapter for Folk Mod Interiors is focusing on commercial design for instance restaurants and boutique hotels. My experience working with small businesses here on the East Side, and designing and curating vacation properties throughout the West Coast, makes me enthusiastic to move forward in that direction, in addition to my residential projects.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
First off, starting a business is quite a risk. Wouldn’t call myself a risk taker in basic terms, but aren’t all artists, creatives, and small business owners risk takers? Taking risks is in the fabric of what I do. If I wasn’t a little uneasy or afraid, I don’t think I would push myself this hard to keep following what I always loved. Playing safe has never led me to breakthroughs or solving problems. Not pushing myself makes me fear something more than being risky on its own accord; The fear of being replaced by other designers who are challenging themselves.

Another great part about risk-taking is failure and learning from mistakes. Not letting the fear of messing up get in the way of problem-solving and understanding that’s one of the ways I tune my skills as a designer. Risk taking will always go hand in hand with what I do. If I don’t channel and manage those fears by testing ideas and trusting the process I created, what I’m building will ultimately benefit me rather than slow me down in the long run. I realize that failure is just as important as those moments of success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.folkmodinteriors.com/
• Instagram: @folk_mod
• Other: https://share.google/YGsjDXXuJIuFYkk9K

Image Credits

Photographer – Carla Choy

Photographer – Jeannie Liautaud Maul